I Am Bulletproof
by SupremeZombieLord
Summary: Andy Gibson is on vacation in Georgia with her siblings and niece when the unthinkable happens - a zombie outbreak. Follow their journey as they escape from the bed-n-breakfast, join the Dixon brothers, and find a new family in a group of survivors. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I Am Bulletproof**

**A Walking Dead FanFic**

**Chapter One: House Of Gold**

This summer was going to be one of the best summers of our lives. Julie, my little sister, had won the lotters and offered to take our younger brother, Luke, and I on an all-expenses paid vacation to a small town in Georgia. Of course, she would be taking Belle, my niece. Belle's only two and Julie can't stand to be without her baby. I said yes right away, but it took Luke some convincing. He's been getting in trouble with the law recently and we knew getting out of town would be good for him. He just hasn't been the same since our father died six years ago.

Julie's boyfriend Scott wasn't able to take time off work until the middle of July, and was going to join us as soon as he could. This trip would be our first time out of Canada and I was so excited! Nothing could ruin my good mood, not even Luke's bad habits. Which included drugs and alchohol. I think one of the reasons why he does some of the things he does is because of his past. Luke is our half brother; our father had a drunken encounter with a girl he met at a club. A year later, baby Luke had been left on our doorstep with a note. At first, Mom was super angry at Dad, but eventually got over it. She adopted him.  
Then, when Luke turned eight, his biological mother made contact. I was babysitting at the time and shooed her way, telling her to contact our parents' lawyer. Months passed before she got visitation rights. Of course, by then, Luke had a therapist. We were all in therapy; our family had started to fall apart. Kelly, Luke's birth mother, kept trying to get in Dad's pants. She blew up his email inbox with sexual messages, as well as his phone.  
Our parents got a divorice. Luke and Julie moved in with Dad, and I stayed with Mom. Ever since Kelly had shown up, Mom seemed more... fragile.  
About a year after the split, Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Julie and Luke had to move back in with Mom... Dad passed away that November. Luke's gone downhill since then. Kelly introduced him to drugs; he started sneaking out every night to get high, drunk, or both.

Enough about the past. Remembering is hard and can put me in a horrible mood for days. Tomorrow we leave for Georgia! I've been packed for the last week, and even offered to pack Luke's suitcases.

"Andy, I'm not five. I know how to pack a suitcase." Luke told me over the phone.

"Yea, whatever. I'll be over in an hour." I laughed, throwing the phone on my bed as I pulled my long black hair into a messy bun. That boy was so forgetful. Julie asked me to watch Belle while she did some last minute packing so I picked her up on my way to Mom's, where Luke still lived. I didn't have a chance to get out of my old blue truck before Mom ran outside and took Belle out of her carseat. Belle was probably the cutest kid I had ever seen. She had curly brown hair and lively green eyes. Belle was a good baby, rarely ever cried.

"Come on, I made lunch." Mom told me and I followed her inside.

"Wha my Ookie?" Belle asked, looking around for Luke. "Want my Ookie!"

"Luke! Someone wants to see you!" Mom called, and Luke came into the kitchen.

"This better not be one of your dumb jokes again, because they're not-" Luke was cut short by Belle, who ran over and hugged his legs.

"Hi, Ookie! I duv you!" she smiled up at him and he picked her up.

While Belle and Luke were napping in front of the tv, Mom and I packed Luke's suitcases. Finding weed in his sock drawer, I shook my head disapprovingly and tossed it aside. We didn't agree with his choices, but it was his life and he was old enough to make his own decisions. I just hoped he'd one day realize that his choices weren't the right ones. We were nearly finished when Mom took my hand and sat next to me on the messy bed.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Yes, everything's fine. I just have one of those gut feelings that something is going to happen. Know what I mean?" Mom forced a smile.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I'll text you the moment we land, until we get to the bed-n-breakfast." I hugged her. "Would it make you feel better if I took my knives?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." She sighed. Mom is third generation Native American, and very aware and in-tune with the earth. It's a bit creepy sometimes. "If something happens, take care of them."

"I will, I promise." I had been taking care of Julie and Luke for as long as I could remember, fighting for them and defending them. We were blackbelts by our ninth birthdays, and trained in combat and weaponry by our uncles. Yeah, so Mom was a bit paranoid. But she just wanted us to be able to protect ourselves, in case something ever did happen.

"Let's get these downstairs." Mom got up and we dragged the luggage to the front door. Mom was driving us to the airport early in the morning in her minivan, the same one she had when we were kids. Truth be told, I was surprised it had lasted this long. It was a rustbucked waiting to fall apart.

Later that night, I went through my closet searching for my knives. I have several swords, as well as my katanas and machete. Weird, I know, but I just really like that sort of stuff. I packed everything but the swords and brought my suitcases to the small kitchen. If anyone at the airport asked, I lik to hunt. Which was something I actually knew how to do, so I wouldn't be lying.  
I changed for bed and had a quick shower before settling on the couch to watch some zombie movie on tv. It was pretty stupid and looked so fake, I changed the channel. Low budget horror movies pissed me off. The acting was nearly always crap, and I could have created better looking gore in my sleep. With ketchup.

The next morning, Mom called me at five to make sure I was awake and ready to go. I rushed to get dressed, and had just finished braiding my hair when Luke texted me to say they were outside. I let him in and he took my suitcases to the van while I locked up. We had a two hour drive to the airport; our flight left at 8:30.

"I can't wait to ditch this town." Luke told me and slid the van door open for me. After getting breakfast via drive-thru, we were on our way. Julie and Belle slept for most of the drive. I would have too, but I was too excited to get on a plane for the first time.

"Luke, wake your sister up. We're nearly there and someone needs their diaper changed." Mom said and Luke shook Julie awake. 

Soon after going through airport security, it was time to board the plane. I hugged Mom one last time and followed Luke and Julie through the terminal. We easily found our seats and made ourselves comfortable. Luke was in front of us, and I told him not to bother the people sitting next to him.

"Yes, Mom." he rolled his eyes and turned on his annoying rap music. Not saying I have anything against rap, but the new stuff is all about sex, drugs, and hookers. The stuff from the 90's was much better in my opinion.

"I'm going to sleep, ok?" I told Julie, "Wake me up when we land."

**So, that's the first chapter! What do you think, should I write more? I don't care either way; I have the next 5 chapters planned out. Feedback is appreciated! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Two: Ritual**

Finding our luggage had been easy; flagging down a cab proved to be a bit more challenging. Luke gave the driver directions and we were on our way to the bed-n-breakfast. It was little more than hour away from the airport and I couldn't wait to have a nice cold shower. It was humid, and by watching the wind blow through the trees I knew it was going to rain. Something Uncle Ross had taught me: take in your surroundings. Exactly what I was doing; the small town was busy and very much alive. I made a note to go to the tourist centre and get a map as soon as I could. The hospital was close to a mall, and ambulances were pulling in one right after the other.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked the driver, "There are ambulances all over the place."

"Yea, just some virus. Spreadin' like a wildfire. You'll want to be careful, with the little girl there." he told me, and slowed to a stop. "Would you like help with your bags?"

"That would be wonderful, thanks." Julie smiled as she got out, "I'll go check in with Belle."

We spent the next hour unpacking while Belle had a nap. Our rooms were interconnected, because Julie said it would be easier for us to keep an eye on Belle. She got into alot of trouble when no one was looking, especially early in the morning.  
Just finding a bed-n-breakfast with two interconnecting rooms had been hard, and with a third... even more difficult.

"Guys, I'm gonna run to the store. I forgot to pack my brush. Is there anything you need?" I asked, and Julie made a list.

"Can I go with you?" Luke yawned, "I need an energy drink."

"Sure." I shrugged and Julie handed me a slip of paper.

"See you in a bit." Julie waved and we made our way to the fron desk.

"There's a Walmart right down the road, not even a five minute walk from here." the man at the front desk told us, and we turned to leave when he said something else, "Be careful, it's gettin' pretty crazy out there."

"We will. Thanks." Luke smiled and we walked outside. Traffic was heavy and I could hear police and ambulance sirens blaring. "I think we'd better hurry. It doesn't look too great out here."

"Yea. Come on." We jogged to the department store; the parking lot was packed. My stomach churned and I was glad I thought to put a small knife in my boot. We hurried to get everything on Julie's list and were on our way to the checkout when I noticed an old man fall to the ground. He appeared to be having a seizure, but seconds later, he stopped moving. And sat up.

"Is that all?" the cashier asked, pulling my attention from the old man.

"Yes." Luke said for me.

"That'll be fifty dollars and sixty-five cents." She told me, and I handed her the right amount in cash. I looked back for the old man, but he was gone. What I did see, though, was a trail of blood. Someone screamed. I helped Luke with the bags and we all but ran back to the BnB. I was seriously freaked out by what I had seen, and texted Mom once we were back in our rooms.

"There you are! I've been worried sick!" Julie cried. Before we could ask any questions, she pointed to the tv.

_'The country is in a state of panic. There have been reports of people being severly bitten. This woman, here, told me she had been bit close to an hour ago.' a female reporter standing outside the hospital said, and turned to a middle-aged woman holding her bloody arm. 'Can you tell me what happened?'_

_'Sure. I was on my way home from a walk when a crazy lookin' man ran up to me and just bit a chunk out of my arm. He smelled awful, like he'd been dead or somethin'.' the woman said._

_'That's just horrible. Thank you for talking with us.' the reporter turned, 'This just in; police as urging people to stay in their homes and lock their doors.'_

"No freaking way!" Luke exclaimed and we looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Doesn't this make the least bit of sense to you? I mean, people are getting bit by crazy dead-smelling... humans. Think about it."

"You mean.. zombies?" I looked at him like he was crazy, and remembered the old man in Walmart.

"That's exactly what I mean. Good thing I grabbed extra diapers, isn't it?" Luke whispered and sat on the bed.

"We need to call Mom. Like, now." Julie picked up the phone on the bedside table and dialed Mom's number. Once we got through, she put us on speaker.

"Mom! How are you?" I asked, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah. It's all over the news. Andy, you remembered that feeling I told you about?" Mom sniffled; she'd been crying.

"Yes. Oh man, I've been texting you all day. What's happened?" my voice cracked and I sat next to Luke. Belle was still asleep, thank the stars. That kid could sleep through anything.

"I checked the CDC website. I guess a bad virus has been going around. You get sick. The fever just ravages you, eventually kills you. And that's not the worst part. People have been coming back." Mom said, "I think this is what I've been preparing you for."

"What happens after they come back?" Luke asked somewhat fearfully.

"They attack people. Bite them. The bitten get sick with whatever it is. Scott's been trying all afternoon to book a flight home for you, but no one is allowed to leave, in case they bring the infection with them. Airports are closed." she breathed, "Do not leave. Stay where you are."

"This is only going to get worse, isn't it..." Julie whispered, blinking back tears.

"I'm afraid so, honey. You'll be okay, you know how to survive. How to fight." Mom paused for a minute and continued. "No matter what. Make sure you don't get bit. I have to go; I'm staying with Uncle Ross. I love you three, more than anything. Give Belle a kiss for me."

"Good thing I brought weapons." I sighed after Mom ended the call. "All my knives, a machete, my favorite katanas."

"What made you think of that?" Luke snorted.

"When Mom and I were packing your suitcases. She had another one of her 'feelings' and told me to bring weapons. Good thing, too." I got up and went to my room, coming back with a green duffel bag. Placing it on the bed, I slowly zipped it open and took everything out.

"You just saved our lives." Julie hugged me.

"That's IF we don't get the fever." Luke pointed out and picked up the machete, his favorite weapon. "I'm going downstairs to check things out. I'll knock three times when I come back."

"Be careful." Julie warned and handed him a black dagger.

"Where's the fun in that?" he grinned and I locked the door behind him.

"I have a feeling things are going to get much worse. By next week, the town could be overrun." Julie shut the tv off and put the two boxes of diapers under her bed. Belle woke up (finally) not long after, and we fed her a can of fruit.

"Mama! Me wants binky!" she pouted.

"Go sit and play with your toys." Julie told her, and she ran over to a pile of baby toys on the floor.

Luke came back an hour later and told us the place was nearly empty, except for an elderly couple and the woman who owned the place. I went down to get some food for us to eat from the kitchens and didn't expect to see an old woman eat a little boy outside. I figured it would be pointless to get her off him, seeing as he'd already been bit by her. I got three plates of fried chicken and potatoes and went back to our rooms. We ate, and soon after, went to bed.  
Getting to sleep was nearly impossible, with all the commotion in the streets. I closed my eyes and tried to meditate, but the screams were just getting louder and more frequent. I got up and looked out the window; people were biting each other. Picking up my camera, I used the zoom to see what was happening. It looked like the government had gotten involved, because there were tanks in front of the hospital as well as a FEMA camp. Things had gone from bad to worse in just a matter of hours. By next week, the whole state, possibly the whole country, could be taken over by these creatures. And no one could stop them. Well unless you had the right equiptment.. And a cure.

I could only hope we would make it out of this mess alive.

**Reviews, anyone? There's a surprise in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Three: Shadows Die**

Two weeks had gone by and we were running dangerously low on food. Julie was potty training Belle so we wouldn't need to use so many diapers, and we were only using them at night now. Which was excellent, since we were all tired of having to change them. We had tried to contact Mom again, but the lines had been cut. Emergency broadcasts had stopped as well. Ms Pikket, the woman who had owned this place, was the first to get the fever. It then spread to the elderly couple. Mom had been right; it burned through them like a fire and they died shortly after. Luke and I got rid of them before they had a chance to reawaken, as much as we hated to do it.

"We don't have enough food to last us another day." Luke muttered loud enough so I could hear him; we didn't want Julie worrying about food. She had lost twenty pounds at least and she had never been that big to begin with.

"I know." I sighed, "Do you think you can make a run on your own? I need to stay with her. She can't fight with Belle to look after."

"In and out in less than two hours."

"Ok then, let's go get you some weapons." We had guns now, but they were loud and attracted unwanted guests. So they were for emergency only. Luke armed himself in my room and slipped out the back door. Julie was still asleep; she needed alot more rest than she did before and I figured it was either PMS or she was pregnant and not telling us. I sat on my bed and looked at the black tv screen. Power had been out for a week, which meant no more air conditioning. Or running water. We looked and smelled horrible.

"Andy!" Julie gasped and I ran to her room.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, noting her horrified expression.

"Look out the window." she whispered and I walked to the window, looking down. The front lawn was crawling with biters. I ran to the room across the hall; they were there too.

"Shit." I swore and hurried back. "We're surrounded."

"Where's Luke?"

"He went to get food about twenty minutes ago." I pulled the green duffel bag out from under my bed and got my katanas ready to use. "I never should have let him go. But we were so low on supplies."

"Don't worry about it; he'll be back." she picked Belle up off the floor and got her dressed. "We're going to have to leave as soon as he does."

"We have no vehicle, Julie. No fast getaway car. Luke won't be able to fight them all. He's good, but not that good." I sighed and picked up one of the walkies I had found in the front office a couple days ago. Each of us had one, and I hoped Luke had remembered to turn his on."Luke, you there?"

"I'm here." we heard several minutes later. "What's up?"

"Well the place is kind of surrounded. We need to get out ASAP." I told him.

"Don't you worry your pretty lil head off, darlin'. We'll be there faster than you can piss in the garden." some guy said, and Julie freaked out.

"Who the hell said that?!" she grabbed the walkie out of my hand, "You touch my brother and I'll kill you."

"Merle Dixon." he said and all we heard after that was the sound of static.

"Did you hear that?" Julie whispered after we had packed some clothes. We knew we wouldn't be able to stay here much longer.

"Hear what?" I breathed and tossed an extra pair of Belle's pants in my bag.

"I heard glass break." I snuck out of the room and over to the staircase. Three biters were closing in on the stairs and I ran back to Julie.

"They're inside. Quick, help me baracade the doors." As if they knew how to open doors in the first place. Julie panicked easily and I figured this would distract her. So we spent the next 20 minutes pushing beds, dressers, and chairs up against three doors. If only Luke would hurry the hell up... Looking out the window again I noticed about a dozen more biters making their way down the street, headed right towards us. I tried not to freak out, knowing it would only freak Julie and Belle out even more. The moaning outside the doors only got louder with each passing second, and I gripped my katana. No one would be able to get in unless they had superhuman strength. Or knew the secret knocks Luke and I had created when we were kids. Not even Julie knew about them.

"It's been more than an hour. What's keeping him?" Julie looked at me, and we feared the worst. He had been bit. Or killed by some of the nasty people out there. When the electricity had went out, prisons had been unlocked. And that meant there were killers loose on the streets, the ones that hadn't been infected.

"I don't know. Maybe he ran into some trouble or something. Don't worry." I reassured, hoping she'd calm down.

"Right. How can I not worry when there are freaking biters no more than five feet from me?" Julie glared and I looked away. I so didn't want to start a fight with her right now over something so stupid. She had a point though; The biters were on the other side of the door and we had no way out.

"Remember when we found Luke standing in the middle of the road on his sixth birthday?" I tried changing the subject. "You freaked out and ran to get him."

"Yeah, I nearly got ran over too. That boy almost got me killed so many times." she started to cry, which made Miss Belle cry too.

"Poor baby, she's so scared and has no idea what's going on." I lifted her out of Julie's arms and rocked her to sleep.

"I don't want her to grow up in this world. All she'll know is pain and suffering." Julie sniffed, "Not like it matters what I want anymore."

"Oh, come on. I'm sure we'll find some sort of happiness. You just need to know where to look." I rolled my eyes. She had always looked on the negative side of things and it could get really annoying at times.

"Want my Ookie, Mama." Belle whispered in her sleep.

"Luke, where are you..." I muttered to myself and handed Belle to Julie. Standing up, I heard a loud motor in the distance and looked out the window. It was a motorcycle, an ugly one at that. The rider was clearly male and appeared built. Lovely, maybe he could get us out. Calling for his attention would be pointless with the sound of that motor; he wouldn't even hear us. Following behind him was a beat up grey pickup; they pulled into the yard.

"I think we have company."

**Guess what happens next! Reviews? :B**


	4. Chapter 4

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Four: Unlikely Saviours**

**This Chapter is set in Luke's pov, when he is out on the run for food and supplies. There is a reason for this as you'll see later on.**

Thankfully there had been no biters in the gas station I had found, and I filled my bag with what little food I could find. There was enough to last a couple days and then I'd have to make another run. Julie was scared of the biters but I saw them for what they were; fear meant nothing to me. Unless it was my sisters I was losing... just the thought terrified me. Life without them would be meaningless. I had never been without them before; We were always together. Andy had been the one who found me that morning Kelly left me on the doorstep, she had been on her way to school. Mom had taught us to rely on each other, and then ourselves. I'd been a handful the past few years and I was thankful they stuck by me. I guess that's what family is for, right?  
I heard a vehicle pull up and crouched behind an empty shelf. Two men walked in loudly, clearly not caring that biters might hear them. My walkie made a beep, indicating that the battery was low.

"Hey, did you hear that?" one of them said and I quickly shut it off.

"I'll check out back; you look around in here." Good thing I had knives and a machete, in case this turned to a fight. The door slammed shut and I was stuck inside with some crazy guy.

"You on the floor. Get up." a man wearing combat boots, torn jeans, and a dirty vest ordered. He looked to be in his late 20s to early 30s and had muscle. Something Andy would have called 'hot'.

"I'm only here for food." I told him, hoping he'd understand. "My sisters are going to starve."

"Where you stayin' then?" he pointed a crossbow at my head, ready to shoot if I didn't cooperate.

"Peach House Bed-n-Breakfast." Maybe he could help us.

"What was that noise I heard a minute ago?"

"Oh, just my walkie." I pulled it out and turned it back on. "Nothing dangerous."

"Find anything?" the other man called from outside.

"Yeah, some punkass kid. Says he needs food for his sisters."

"You ain't been bit, have ya kid?" the other man walked in and I took one look at him; huge, bigger than my Uncle Bill who had been in the RCMP for sixteen years.

"No, like I said, I only came to get food." I explained and Andy's voice crackled through the walkie.

"Luke, you there?" she said.

"Who's that?" the bigger of the two asked.

"My sister. She's probably getting worried." I sighed and set my bag on the floor, raising the walkie to my mouth. "I'm here. What's up?"

"Well the place is surrounded. We need to get out ASAP." My sister, always the calm one. Before I could respond, Mr Huge took the walkie from me. The other guy was busy looking at some hunting magazine.

"Don't you worry your pretty lil head off, darlin'. We'll be there faster than you can piss in the garden."

"Maybe she doesn't want your help, Merle." Crossbow Guy walked over and placed his weapon on the shelf.

"Who the hell said that?!" Julie snarled through the walkie, "You touch my brother and I'll kill you."

"Well lookie here, this sister of his has some attitude." Merle grinned in a way I didn't like and I mentally kicked myself for telling Crossbow Guy where we were staying. Uncle Ross would have kicked my ass for putting them in danger like that. How could I have been so stupid?!

Merle laughed at me and said to Julie, "Merle Dixon."

"I need to go." I stood up and flung my bag over my shoulder.

"Not so fast, boy. We're going with you." Just lovely.

'Look on the brightside, maybe he and Crossboy Guy could help kill some of the biters.' I thought to myself.

"Come on then." Crossbow Guy said, "We'll help you."

They had a grey 1973 Ford F-250 pickup truck and a motorbike parked behind it, which looked pretty cool. Crossbow Guy didn't say much, and Merle wouldn't shut up. He asked me a bunch of questions, like where I was from, what I did, who I was.

"Canada, eh?" he laughed and said he had friends up there. What I wouldn't give to be back home... When we reached the BnB, it was nearly overrun with biters. Andy was looking out the window with a pair of binoculars Julie found in one of the rooms.

"They're inside!" she yelled down at me and I jumped out of the truck, getting ready to kill some biters.

"So where are they?" Crossbow Guy asked as he shot a fat walker in the head.

"Upstairs, second door to the left. Be careful though, they're armed and know how to fight." I warned him and slashed some heads off. The biters really reeked, probably because of the heat of the sun. We fought our way inside and up the stairs while Merle cleared the yard. We would need a path to get to the truck. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Daryl. Tell them to open the door." he groaned. I guess they had barracaded the doors when the biters first started wandering inside.

"Andy! It's me, now open the door!"

"Oh thank the stars!" Andy cried when she opened the door and we hurried inside. "Who is that guy?"

"Not important; let's go!" Daryl yelled impatiently and I looked around for Julie.

"Hey, where's Julie?"

"Hiding under the bed. She won't come out." Andy sighed, "You know how she gets."

"Julie, come on. It's ok. We have to leave." I crouched and tried to coax her out.

"Ookie!" Belle struggled to get out from Julie's grasp, and finally Julie took my hand and crawled out. "Mama! Ookie!"

"Who the hell is that?!" Julie glared at Daryl and grabbed her bags.

"Let's just go!" Andy was getting annoyed and I didn't blame her. Julie was a bit stressful most of the time and all we could do was just deal with it. She gave up and made sure Belle was wrapped up so she wouldn't get bit, and we left the room. But not before I grabbed my yellow bookbag, which had clothes and plenty of ammo. Getting to the truck was easy, and I let the girls sit with Daryl while I sat in the back; at this point I trusted him more than I did Merle. Merle had started his motorcycle and we were off.

Goodbye, old life. Hello new one.

**So I had to make Daryl a tad bit younger, for the story's sake. Anyway, review! Let me know if you like it! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Five: Survival of the Fittest**

Four days have passed since we left the BnB. Daryl, the guy who helped us escape the biters, annoyed me to no end. First he gave me the slient treatment. Then when I wanted to stop at a Barnes & Noble for some books he drove right past and laughed. His brother Merle wasn't any better. He was a creep, and pretty rude. We were heading to Atlanta on backroads, because the highways were jammed with cars and nearly impossible to drive on. Luke spent most of his time on the back of the truck with Merle and his dumb motorcycle, which just pissed Julie off because she didn't like Merle AT ALL. I didn't really care at this point and was kind of fed up with the hostility.

"I need to pee." I nudged Daryl, who was driving.

"Well hold it." he glared and kept on going. He wasn't the politest person ever, but he did have a cool twang. When he decided to talk that is.

"I can't, it's been like four hours. Please pull over." I pouted.

"Just do it; she won't stop bothering you until you do." Julie told him, "Besides, I think Belle needs to go again. You don't want pee all over the seats, do you?"

"I swear, you two'll kill us." Daryl finally pulled over and I ran to a ditch so I could relieve my bladder. Luke and Merle took some venison out of a burlap sack and handed it out. Whoever made it hadn't done a good job and it made me sick. I bet it was Daryl.

"More venison?" I groaned, "I want cupcakes and popcorn."

"I miss pizza." Julie sighed. Yes, pizza... I'd forgotten about that.

"Stop complainin' an' eat before I take it back." Mr Grumpy glared before getting back in the truck. We got ready and left before the biters had a chance to hear us.

Sleeping in a truck is hard enough, especially when you're trying not to fall asleep on someone you don't particularly like. I eventually gave in and slept though. Waking up not too long after, I opened my eyes a crack and looked in the rearview mirror, catching a certain someone looking at me and smiling. I yawned and opened my eyes fully, rubbing the sleep out of them. We were on another dirt road and it was bumpy as hell. Merle was farther up ahead and signaled for us to stop.

"I wonder what he wants." I groaned and sat up, making sure to distance myself from Mr Grumpy. Belle climbed onto my lap and started pointing out the trees.

"Who cares? He's a turd." Julie laughed, earning a glare from Daryl.

"You glare alot. Ever try smiling for once?"

"Doubtful. Mr Grouch hates smiling." we teased and Belle poked Daryl's arm.

"Missa Gouch!" Belle smiled up at him, "I wub Missa Gouch."

Now that was cute. He rolled his eyes and I could tell he was trying not to smile. "Dumb kid."

"I no dumb, Missa Gouch." she stuck out her little tongue and Daryl pulled over.

"Dumb thing's outta gas. Help me put it on back." Merle told his brother, and Belle crawled on Daryl.

"Say peese, Mewe." wow, being scolded by a two year old. That was hilarious.

"Peas and corn, kid." Merle sighed and we watched from the window as they loaded the motorbike onto the back of the truck. It was nearly dark when Julie spotted a quarry on the map. She gave Daryl directions, and we camped out for the rest of the night.

The next morning, I was the first one up and decided to take a walk. I spotted an RV about a kilometre away and walked cautiously towards it, katanas in hand. There was a man standing on the RV and he looked alive, so I waved. Three men ran over and he pointed to me, so I kept walking towards them. One was clearly Asian, another Mexican. The third looked like he had possibly been in the Army or something, I really couldn't tell.

"Hey, what's your name?" Mr Army asked once we were close enough to talk.

"Andy Gibson. You?" I eyed him suspiciously.

"Shane. This is Glenn." he said. The other guy, the Mexican, had stayed behind. "Are you alone?"

"No, we're camping out close by. I saw that RV and decided to check it out. It's just me, my brother, my sister. My niece and two guys we met on the way." I explained. "How many are with you?"

"Roughly thirty, give or take." Glenn shrugged.

"So where exactly are you camping? Maybe we could walk back with you." Shane smiled, and I had a good feeling about the situation.

"Come on. I'll show you." I led the way. There were hardly any biters around, which was great.

"There you are!" Luke groaned when we showed up. "Who are they?"

"Shane and Glenn. They're camped out not too far from here." I put my katanas away. "This is my brother, Luke."

"Hey." Luke nodded politely.

"Julie and Belle are probably still asleep in the truck; we've been driving nonstop the past couple days." I explained to Shane. Glenn and Luke were sitting next to Merle's tent, most likely talking about girls.

"And the other two?" Shane asked.

"Merle's in his tent sleeping. Daryl could possibly be hunting. Not too sure about him. He mostly keeps to himself, the grump." I joked. Shane looked around before speaking.

"If you folks are willing, then maybe you could join our group. You'd have to pull your weight and contribute in some way." he offered, and I told him I'd think about it.

"Thanks for the offer. I really do appreciate it."

"Not a problem." we shook hands and he turned to leave, "Glenn, I'm gonna head back. You ok here?"

"I'll meet up later." Glenn waved and Shane left.

"Hey, Andy. Come here for a second." Luke called me over. "Glenn says that Atlanta's overrun."

"It's crawling with the things. I can get in and out no problem on my own. We've had to make several runs already for food and supplies." Glenn explained, and I heard a twig snap.

"I'll be right back." I picked up a katana and silently walked to the woods to investigate.

"It's just me." Daryl growled from behind a bush.

"Darn, I really wanted to decapitate a biter." I glared back and noticed he was carrying a rabbit and several squirrels. "Yay! No more venison!"

"Just for that, you ain't gettin' none." he smirked and I told him about Shane.

"You know you're not supposed to wander off on your own!"

"Seriously, do I look like I'm five. I know perfectly well how to defend myself." I huffed and stalked back to where Glenn and Luke were sitting.

"What was it?" Glenn asked me.

"Just Daryl. He caught dinner." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "He seriously annoys the shit out of me."

"She's in love with him, I swear." Luke smirked and I kicked him.

"Go wake Julie. It's nearly lunchtime." I told him, and he groaned before getting up and walking towards the truck.

"Luke told me you taught karate before." Glenn looked at me, "And I was thinking."

"You want me to teach you."

"Yes. Well not quite. Maybe you could teach the group. We have five kids and a bunch of girls who don't know much about defending themselves."

"I'll consider it. First I have to convince the grumps to join your group, and that'll be hard enough." I stood up and helped Glenn to his feet. "Come on. You can meet Daryl. He's in a good mood this morning."

We talked everything over and we all decided it would be best if we joined a bigger group. There was safety in numbers, as Glenn had pointed out. Once we had finished discussing everything Glenn ran back to tell Shane our final decision. It was close to nightfall when Luke spotted Shane walking towards us and Julie told him to get a bottle of water for Belle.

"Everything's set. You can join us when you're ready." Shane said and held out a teddy bear. "I brought this for the little girl."

"Thanks. It's been a while since Belle's had something to play with." Julie smiled, taking the bear.

"We'll be down in the morning. Thanks again." Merle nodded and Shane went back to his group.

**Well that's the end of that one. Next chapter will mainly be Andy and Daryl learning to work together.**

**Reviews? They makes me happeh! (: And yes, Mom, I know you've posted like 2 already...**


	6. Chapter 6

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Six: New Friends**

The man I had seen on top of the RV was named Dale. He agreed to let Julie and Belle stay in his RV, even though he didn't have much room. Two sisters were sleeping there also and Julie got along with them well enough to trust them with Belle. Morales, the Mexican I had seen before, had several kids and I agreed to start teaching his family how to better defend themselves. A couple days later, a woman named Lori approached me and asked if I would teach her son Carl. I agreed and he joined us. I had Luke help me when he wasn't busy keeping watch with the others and it didn't take long for my little class to graduate from a white belt.  
Shane had sat down with each of us individually and asked what our strengths were. We were all skilled fighters, and I told him I could hunt. He paired me up with Daryl and we were hunting partners. Of course, Mr Grouch objected and said he worked better on his own. He just didn't want to have me trailing after him, according to Merle. The both of them were just a huge pain in my ass. Julie had made friends with a woman named Carol, who had a twelve year old daughter named Sophie. They were both quiet, and fearful when Ed, Carol's husband, was around. He hovered around Carol all the time and it really got on my nerves. She was scared of him. He was abusive, no doubt. People like him made me sick, they were a disgrace to society.

I got ready for our first hunting trip, and made sure my throwing knives were sharpened before hooking them to my belt. Daryl was sitting on the back of his truck. I caught him looking at me and stuck my tongue out. If he didn't piss me off so much I might actually like him. Daryl jumped down and walked over.

"Let's go. You'd better not get in my way." he warned.

"Or what, you'll shoot me? Yeah, doubt it. I'd have you tied to a tree before you could even try." I stared him down, and he gave me a threatening glare. "Let's go, Mr Grouch."

I had killed three rabbits just five minutes in and he was pissed because he hadn't even seen them. I warned him I was good but he had chosen not to believe me. Sucks to be him.

"Bet you I can find a deer." I muttered as he took an arrow out of a dead squirrel. Another glare from Mr Grouch. We walked in silence when he spotted a biter and shot it in the face. Big deal. I rolled my eyes and climbed a tree, looking around with my binoculars.

"The hell are you doing?!" Daryl hissed and I told him to shut up before climbing back down.

"There's a deer not too far from here. You'd better not scare it." I whispered and walked in the other direction.

One deer and five rabbits later, we made our way back to the group. He ended up shooting the deer when five biters had threatened to scare it away. I killed them before they had the chance, using a dagger and my throwing knives.

"That deerskin will make excellent boots for winter." I pointed out, hoping to get a response.

"Is there anything you can't do?!"

"I can't knit worth crap." I admitted.

"That's all?" Daryl laughed and I glared at him.

"I spent the first ten years of my life on a reservation. I'm fully capable of surviving in the woods, by myself."

"That's nice. Ever kill a bear then?" he said, mocking me.

"More than one. What's it to you? I'll bet you haven't." We were no more than five minutes from the group and I sighed in relief. I couldn't wait to get away from him.

"Whatever, Moosie." He'd started calling me Moosie to piss me off, because of the whole being Canadian thing. I could take Merle saying 'eh' every five seconds, but Moosie... Seriously? In no way, shape, or form did I resemble a moose.

"Why are you so annoying?" I asked innocently and ran to meet up with Luke, who was keeping watch with Glenn.

"Wow, a deer!" Luke grinned, "Yours or his?"

"I found it, he shot it. So both I guess. I got seven rabbits, too." I held up my sack for him to see.

"So did you make him carry it? Daryl doesn't look too impressed." Glenn asked. He was right. mr Grouch walked past us with a look that could have possibly scared Dr Phil shitless.

"Well I couldn't, obviously. I'd better go skin these rabbits." I excused myself and followed Daryl back to the truck. I heard him in the tent, telling Merle how annoying and pigheaded he thought I was.

"The last time you complained this much about a girl you nearly married the bitch." Merle laughed and unzipped the tent. I started skinning a rabbit, making myself look busy and not as if I had just been eavesdropping.

"Hey, Merle." I said as he walked past. Mr Grouch started on the deer, and I told him to be gentle with the skin.

"I know what I'm doin'. You don't have to tell me what to do every five seconds. Damn."

"Whatever." I muttered and started on the next rabbit.

We ate until we were full that night, something we hadn't been able to do in a while. Everyone was happy and content, even Daryl. He and Luke were joking around and I was glad. Luke got along great with the Dixon brothers and that surprised everyone; the two were antisocial. Didn't really say much to anyone. I knew that, of course. I hung around kids like them back in high school. Daryl and Merle seemed tough, but I'd bet they were total softies underneath their hard shells.

"If we had smores, this would be perfect." Julie sighed and got up to put Belle, who had fallen asleep, to bed.

"Mmm, smores." Carl frowned, "I miss those."

"I miss my Mom." Luke looked at me and I knew exactly what he meant. I missed her, too.

"And Grandfather. He told the best campfire stories about the old days. Living off the land." I had to excuse myself before I started crying in front of everyone. I was really close to Grandfather and this whole situation was beginning to feel very real. Everyone I had ever know was now dead or one of those... things. It was hard to process, and I went back to the truck. Luke and I were sleeping in the back on inflatable mattresses.

"Andy?" Daryl called. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?!

"What do you want?" I wiped the tears from my eyes, trying to make it less obvious that I was crying.

"You left in a hurry and Shane sent me to check on you."

"I'm fine." I whispered before I started to cry uncontrollably.

"Yeah, fine my ass." he jumped up and sat beside me. "What's wrong?"

"They're.. all... dead!" I managed and buried my face into his shoulder, soaking his arm with tears and snot.

"You ok now?" he asked me after I stopped.

"Yeah. Thanks. For... you know."

"Being your snot rag? No problem. Just don't do it again." Daryl shrugged and we sat in silence for a while. I fell asleep shortly after, and woke up the next morning snuggled up in my sleeping bag. Luke had been up since dawn keeping watch with Andrea. I didn't really like her that much. She was a bit snobby but her sister was pretty ok, and I had caught Luke looking at her last night. It seemed someone had a little crush...  
After I finished teaching self defense to the women, Daryl pulled me aside and asked if he could talk to me.

"What do you need?" I asked once we had found a quiet place to sit.

"I call a truce. We're both pretty good hunters and we'd do better if we worked together and not argue the whole dang time." he suggested.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. But can you please stop calling me Moosie? It's infuriating."

"Only if you stop callin' me Mr Grouch all the friggin' time. I'm not that bad." he set his crossbow on the ground. "So, truce?"

"We'll be BFFs!" I joked and we walked back, planning our next hunting excursion.

**So, this is going to be the last chapter I post until probably some time next week. I liked writing this one.. it was fun. Reviews? Thanks to the ones who followed/favorited! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Seven: Good Or Bad**

With Daryl and I getting along, things were going much smoother in the hunting department. I had enough deer jerky to last us three weeks on the run and Daryl made his nasty venison, which is still as gross as ever.  
Shane had sent a small group on a run to Atlanta; Merle and Luke had volunteered to go along and help out. It was good of them, of course, but Julie spazzed out when Luke told her. Apparently she had a dream the night before in which one of them got left behind. You see, sometimes her dreams come true. It really freaks her out. Grandfather had once told me that his mother could do the same, and that it was an extremely rare gift.  
Julie had also told me another dream, one she had one of those first nights we spent in Daryl's truck. We were sitting around a fire when a group of biters came out of nowhere and attacked. She remembered smelling fish. Since then, Julie won't eat fish. She's positive that this one will happen.

"You ready?" Daryl asked, pulling me from my thoughts. We were going to check our various animal traps and see if we caught anything.

"Yeah. Come on." I slung a bag over my shoulder and picked up my favorite katana. I couldn't take both of them, in case of a biter attack. Julie knew how to use it, so I left it with her and we were off.  
Squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and foxes were what we'd set traps for. I didn't really understand why Daryl liked squirrel meat so much. It wasn't all that appealing to me. I collected the animals from the traps and made sure they were all dead, and hadn't been bitten either. Going farther into the woods, we stumbled across a run-down cabin and I wanted to take a quick look inside. It was empty and there was no sign of any biters so we lowered our weapons and checked for anything useful.

"You can head back, I'll only be a bit longer. Wanna see if I can get more squirrels for Merle." Daryl handed me the rabbit he'd just shot and I nodded.

"See you soon then." I gave him a smile and walked back. Carl saw me first and ran over, telling me he had someone for me to meet.

"Your brother's back. He and Glenn found him on the supply run." Carl led me to a man in a police uniform. "This is my Dad."

"Rick Grimes." the man smiled and we shook hands. "Luke's your brother?"

"Yeah. He hasn't done anything out of line, has he?" I asked suspiciously.

"Quite the opposite. He and Glenn saved me from a bunch of walkers." Rick said and patted Luke on the back. I was proud of Luke; he'd done the right thing. And helping a police officer... something I'd never thought he would even consider doing.

"That's awesome! Great job, Luke!" I grinned and turned my attention back to Rick. "I'm glad you made it here safely. If you'll excuse me, I have some meat to prepare."

Luke followed me to the truck and asked if we could talk about something. He seemed upset.

"Is anything wrong?"

"Daryl isn't around, is he?" he looked around nervously.

"No, he's hunting. I just got back from checking the traps. Why?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, they kind of left Merle. Handcuffed to a roof." Luke hung his head and I felt bad for him. "T-Dog had the keys and accidentally dropped them down a drain."

"Daryl's gonna be pissed. Who's gonna tell him? Better not be you." I sighed. Luke would be torn to shreds; I instantly pitied whoever had to tell Daryl about his brother. The man had a temper, a rotten one at that.

"Rick wants to be the one, and so does T-Dog."

"Let's just let them handle it. For now, you can help me skin and gut the goods." I grinned. Luke absolutely hated gutting. It made a good distraction, if anything.

"Andrea alert." Luke muttered under his breath. He wasn't too fond of her, either.

"Hey." She smiled and sat in my blue fold-up chair, "Need any help?"

Did we need help? Hmm... I'm sure I could arrange something particularly nasty for her to do.

"Luke, you wouldn't mind showing her how to do the raccoons? I need to check on something." I grinned and wiped my bloody hands on a rag. Luke rolled his eyes and nodded, picking up the knife I had been using.

After Rick and T-Dog told Daryl what had happened to Merle, I was left with calming Mr Grouch. Can't say I don't blame him for blowing up the way he did; Merle was his brother, the only family he had. I'd have done the samae thing if I were in his situation. We didn't talk; just sat in silence. Well, until Andrea came and asked if I wanted to do laundry with her, Carol, and Lori.

"Will you be ok?" I asked Mr Grouch and he shooed me away, but not before I took the dirty clothes out of his tent. He probably wanted to be alone before going to find Merle; they were leaving shortly after lunch.  
Lori and Carol were already down there scrubbing away and we joined them. Of course, that lard Ed was hovering around. Looking down on us as if we were lesser beings. I'd like to see him squeeze a nine pound baby out of his urethra and see how he likes it. Whenever we would start talking, he would walk over like he owned the place and tell us to get working.

"Or what, Ed? You gonna hit us?" Andrea asked mockingly. He wouldn't dare, not with Shane watching.

"Come on." Ed reached for Carol's arm but Lori and Andrea pushed him away. I knew what would happen next. He punched Carol in the face and I was about ready to attack when Shane pulled him away, knocking him to the ground. I smiled to myself as the guy was beaten to a bloody pulp before seperating the two. Carol rushed to her husband and helped him back to their tent.

"It's about time someone put that man in his place." Lori muttered darkly to me, and I agreed.

"Quite honestly, I think he should be left to the walkers." Andrea said. "I don't care who he is. What he does to his wife is wrong in so many ways."

"I doubt Sophia even knows about her father abusing her mother." I scrubbed one of Luke's shirts and continued, "Some mothers will do everything their partners say just to keep the kids safe and unaware of the situation."

"And you know this how?" Andrea asked in her usual snobby way, like she knew everything.

"I read alot of psychology books. Took several courses in domestic violence and abuse." I shrugged, "Of course, Julie knows much more. She wanted to be a social worker, before the world went to shit."

"Speaking of Julie, how is she doing? She rarely leaves the RV." Lori asked.

"She's ok. Just accepting how things have changed. I'm pretty worried though. I don't think she's been eating lately." I admitted, "Her boyfriend Scott, Belle's father, is most likely dead. He was going to meet up with us in July; he couldn't take time off work before then. But the day we arrived in Georgia was the first day of the outbreak. All the airports had been closed."

"Maybe I could talk to her; I know what she's going through." The brunette suggested and I agreed. Lori had thought Rick was dead, until he showed up this morning. With our laundry finished, we lugged the wet clothes up the rocky trail back to camp. Amy and Carl were showing Dale the fish they had caught, and that's when it hit me.

Julie was hiding away in the RV because she knew that the walkers would stumble upon us.

**Sooo... there's that. I'm still not sure if I want to do the whole CDC thing, I might just skip it and go right to when Sophia goes missing. Still debating that one.**  
**Now, who thinks Andy and Daryl, who are both awkward as hell when it comes to the opposite sex, should get together? Just wanting to know.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Eight: Kill The Lights**

**DISCLAIMER - If I owned The Walking Dead... Norman Reedus would live in my closet. But I don't, so I'll just have to go along with writing fanfics instead.**

We waited for the search party as long as we could before deciding to just cook the fish. The kids hadn't eaten much all day and were getting cranky; Lori and I convinced Julie to come out of the RV for a while. I promised to keep both katanas on me if it would make her feel safe. Belle was excited to be around everyone and I couldn't blame her.  
She was extremely social and being holed up didn't do her much good. She kept asking for Luke, and her 'Missa Gouch', which everyone just thought was adorable and laughed. Julie looked over her shoulder every few minutes, making sure it was still safe to be outside. Soon she began to relax, and I noticed Lori talking to her. Belle walked over to me and I picked her up so she wouldn't get into anything, like the small fire Dale had started.

"Want my Ookie. Where Missa Gouch?" Belle whispered in my ear.

"They went to look for Merle." I smiled at her and sat next to Carl and Sophia.

"Mewe and Missa Gouch and Ookie pay hi-seek?" she asked, "Why dey no ask Bewwie?"

"They're playing hide and seek for grown ups. Kids aren't allowed to play." Carl frowned, and she stopped asking questions. The sun was beginning to set and I watched as Andrea prepared the fish; Julie made a batter out of some birds eggs I had collected earlier and we gathered around the fire hungrily. The last time I had fish was back in Canada, at a friends' house. Grilled haddock was my favorite and just thinking about it was enough to make my mouth water.

Belle wriggled her way out of my grasp and skipped over to Julie, who was cutting up fish for her to eat. The youngest got to eat first, then the women and remaining men. Julie made sure to put Belle in the RV once she was finished eating and soon came back out with one of my machetes, just in case tonight was the night of the attack.

"I'm gonna go to the washroom. Save my spot?" Amy asked me and I nodded.

"Make sure not to let Belle out; she's sneaky." I smiled and watched as Amy walked to the RV. Carl and I played I Spy for a few minutes when we heard Amy screaming. Shane saw them first; a hoard of walkers were headed straight for us and he told Lori and Carol to get the kids in the RV. Julie covered for them, taking down several of the walkers before slamming the RV door. I grabbed my katanas and decapitated as many walkers as I could, but they just kept coming. Andrea was screaming; Amy had been bit and was on the ground hyperventilating.

"Andy! Look out!" Shane hollered and I turned around; Ed, now one of them, was lunging for the back of my head and I did the first thing I thought of. I slashed the back of his neck in one quick movement and took down another three walkers who were trying to get ahold of Morales' kids.

Gunshots were being fired from behind me, and I looked to see who it was. The group was back, finally, and they were all armed with rifles. I ran to Luke and told him to get in the RV to make sure the kids were safe. Rick, T-Dog, Morales, Glenn and Shane took down the remaining walkers. Noticing Daryl headed towards his tent, I follow him. Merle hadn't come back and I assumed the worst - he'd been killed. I silently jump onto the back of the truck and look around to see if he'd heard me. It was doubtful; I'd been the stealthiest kid my Sensei had ever taught and no one heard me if I didn't want them to.

"I know you're there." Mr Grouch whispered from where he was sitting and I swore. How the hell could he have known?! "I saw you sneakin' away from the group."

"Sure you did." I scoffed and climbed down, making sure my weapons were in their proper places. "So did you find him?"

"No. But he's alive; I know it." he pulled something out of his bag, "Cut off his hand and drove away."

"He would've bled out. There's no way." Merle was tough, I'd give him that. But there was no chance he'd have been able to get out of Atlanta, alive, with a bleeding stump and a zillion of those bloodthirsty things chasing after him.

"I know my brother. He ain't dead." Mr Grouch glared and zipped his tent. Not long after, Luke came to get some sleep and I kept him up, pestering him with questions on why it took them so long to get back. Turns out some gang kidnapped Glenn, and the only way they'd let him go was if Rick gave up the guns and ammo. After they found out most of the survivors were elderly, they split the guns willingly and were able to leave.

"I'm sorry about Amy. I know you liked her."

"As long as you guys are ok; no one else matters." Luke sighed and I reached over to hug him. He fell asleep shortly after and I watched over him. Sleep was nearly impossible, with all that had happened tonight; so I looked up at the stars and felt glad to be alive. Tomorrow was going to be hard, what with sorting the walkers and the fallen.  
I could only imagine what Andrea was going through; if it had been Julie, I don't know what I'd do without her. She was my soulsister, something we both admitted. We were connected; often we knew what the other was feeling or thinking, sort of like what twins can do. There have been times when we even shared dreams, much to our surprise. No one believed us, of course, but they just didn't know. Not even Mom understood how deep it was, and she was into that sort of thing.

I was up at the crack of dawn, and found Andrea lying next to the body of her sister sobbing. Dale, who had formed a bond with the two, was keeping watch to make sure no one bothered them. It didn't take long for everyone to wake up, and Julie handed Belle to Lori. Daryl, Luke, and Glenn stood around while Rick bickered with Shane about who knows what; Shane seemed different since Rick joined us and not a good kind of different, either. It probably had something to do with the fact that he and Lori had been sneaking around before her husband arrived, and I figured it was just jealousy. She'd been giving him some rotten looks lately.

"Andy, help me check everyone over." Julie called and when I was by her side, whispered, "Just to make sure no one else has been bitten."

"Yeah, sure. You check the women and children; I'll do the rest." we walked in seperate directions and I decided on Jim, a middle aged man, to be my first patient. Julie, Luke, and I were trained in first aid and had basic EMT knowledge. Dad had been a doctor and taught us all he knew, so you couldn't say we didn't know what we were doing. Luke offered to help me and we made our way to Jim. He had fresh blood on his shirt, which someone noticed, and in a panic, alerted everyone in the group that he'd been bit. I told the woman to can it until I knew for certain it was a bite when Daryl and Shane ran over with their weapons, followed by Rick and Dale.

"He's been bit!" she pointed accusingly at Jim, as if he'd done it on purpose.

"We don't know that for sure, so keep it down." Rick told her, "You're scaring people."

"I'm okay!" Jim pleaded and Luke helped him to his feet. We looked him over, and he had, of course, been bit.

"I say we shoot em." Daryl pointed his crossbow at Jim, taking aim, and I kicked it out of his hands.

"No. We are not killing him. He's fine, for now. He still hasn't turned into a walker." I glared at Daryl and he picked up his crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder. I pulled him aside to have a quick word with him.

"I know you're still upset about Merle, but you need to calm the hell down. We're not killing him yet." I muttered, staring him down. Yes, I may be a short 5'3", but I can be intimidating as shit when I need to be. "Help me on this. I know what I'm doing."

"Fine." he rolled his eyes, and Shane's hollering got our attention.

"If we don't shoot him now, he could be a danger to the group." Shane flared his nostrils and pulled out his gun, ready to attack. I swear, what's up with guys and killing things?! Rick and Daryl pinned him down and I checked Jim over to make sure he hadn't been bitten anywhere else. He did have a temperature, and Dale agreed to let him rest in the RV. Daryl stalked off to help with disposing the walkers while Luke and I checked everyone over. No one else had been bit, and we met up with Julie and Lori. Sophia and Carl were playing with Belle in Carol's tent, and Carol was in shock that Ed was dead. It must have been a relief in a way, because it meant that no one would threaten or abuse her anymore.

"We lost at least half of the group last night. Jim's been bit, and he's in the RV. Got a temperature." Luke told them, and Rick walked over.

"Hey. After the bodies are dealt with, I think we should try for the CDC. There could be a cure, and Jim needs help." Rick said and I agreed. The CDC could be our best shot at survival. "But we need to discuss it as a group. Take everyone's opinion into consideration."

"What if there is no cure?" Julie asked, "Then what? Do we leave, or stay holed up underground?"

"I don't know. But we'll be safe there." Rick shrugged and we followed him to the grave site for a small funeral.

**Well finally got that typed out. Yay for procrastination! I've decided to go ahead with the CDC, just in my own way. Also... There's going to be a surprise involving Julie, probably in the next three chapters.**

**Review, Favorite, Follow.. all that good stuff. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Nine: On The Road Again**

**DISCLAIMER - Do I look like I own TWD? No, didn't think so. One can only dream...**

We chose to make our way to the CDC, and Morales and his family decided to seperate from the group. They said they had family they wanted to join and we said our goodbyes. Jim's fever had gone from bad to worse, and he's been delirious for the past two hours. Julie stayed in the RV with him, leaving Lori and Carol in charge of Belle while she made sure Jim was comfortable. Luke and Glenn rode in the back of the truck, leaving me alone with Daryl. Not that I minded, now that we were friends, and it wasn't as awful as it had been those first few days. Dale honked twice from the RV, signaling for the rest of us to stop. Turns out the thing broke down, so Shane and T-Dog left to find whatever parts it needed.

"Rick, Jim is asking for you." Julie called out the window, and Rick left to see what Jim wanted.

"Let's go see if we can find anything." I nudged Daryl, and we went off into the woods. I watched as he shot several squirrels and a rabbit. Before this, I had been a vegetarian; minus the fish I would occasionally eat. But now, it was meat that kept me alive; kept all of us alive.

"Nothin' much here." he told me and we made our way back. Luke and Rick were carrying Jim over to a tree, and I asked what was going on.

"Moving around, it's hurting me too much to go on." Jim grimaced, "It's over for me."

"You sure about this?" Rick asked him, and Jim nodded. Shane and T-Dog pulled over and gave Dale the parts for the RV. While Glenn helped Dale repair the RV, Rick and I talked with Jim alone. The poor guy was in so much pain and I don't think there was anything we could do to help him. Julie said he'd been coughing up blood since we left the quarry. We had no choice but to leave him up against that tree.

"Guys." Dale walked over to Rick, Daryl, and I, "Engine's fixed."

"Ok. We'll leave in ten minutes." Rick ran a hand through his hair and we said our goodbyes to Jim.

x

"It doesn't feel right, just leaving him like that. I mean, I know he's been bit and all, but still." I said to Mr Grouch once we were back in the truck. "What if some walkers find him?"

"For all we know, he IS a walker." Daryl pointed out. He was right, of course. Jim would have reawoken by now. I sighed and tried to get some sleep before we reached our destination. The nightmare I had was so horrible; Julie and Belle had died instead of Amy. I had no weapons and walkers were surrounding me, about to devour my flesh. That's when Daryl shook me awake and said we were almost there.

"Define almost." I yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"Got 'nother hour at least."

"Ugh, I miss the radio. Even though the music they played was mainly crap on a stick." Trees, trees, and more trees lined the highway and it was getting boring to look at. "You should have stopped at that book store."

"You mean that day we found you? Ha, no. Books are a waste of space." he grinned, knowing it would piss me off.

"You're a waste of space, you poop taco." I teased and someone honked. We pulled over to see what was wrong and Shane jumped out of his car, slamming the door shut. Guess he wasn't getting his way or something. Rick talked with him while the rest of us stretched our legs, waiting to get going.

"Andy, do you still have that deer jerky?" Carl looked up at me with his big blue eyes, and I told him to follow me. I reached into one of Daryl's bags and pulled out some jerky, telling him to share with Sophia. He ran back to Lori and gave her a peice.

"Time to go." Luke said and climbed on back with Glenn. Finally, he had a friend who wasn't some stupid troublemaker. I got back in the truck once again and slammed the door. We drove until my ass was numb; soon we were in a once populated area. Walkers roamed the streets and I could see a house burning in the distance.

"Not long yet, Moosie."

"What did I say about calling me that?!" I glared, "Mr Grouch!"

"You know you like it, Moosie." he laughed and I gave him the silent treatment. Daryl could be such a pain in the ass. He actually reminded me of my best friend Trevor, one of the few people I trusted the most. Trevor had been in and out of foster homes since he was five, and according to him I was the first person who didn't give up on him. You see, when you care about someone, that's what you do. Not let them down or use them for your own personal gain. That, my friends, is called an unhealthy relationship and a lie.  
I'm not one to give up, or give in, easily. I will go down with a fight even if it ends in my death. It's how I was raised. I opened my eyes and saw the CDC; it was abandoned. I armed myself and we made our way towards the entrance. The stench of rotting corpses was unbelievably strong and I nearly gagged. The doors were impeneratable and it was starting to get dark.

"Let us in! Please!" Rick banged the door and started screaming. Belle was crying; Carl and Sophia were scared.

"Come on, they ain't gonna open." Shane said to Rick, "It's getting dark and walkers are comin' out."

"The security camera, it just moved." Luke pointed out and walked up to it. "Come on, we have kids! Let us in! We're desperate, here!"

Luke and Rick pleaded with the security camera and at the last minute the doors finally opened, omitting a bright blinding light. We rushed in and came face to face with a man in a white coat.

** x**

**I've had serious writers block during this chapter, and that's why it's so short. I've just bought Season 3 and I've been planning future chapters! They're going to be really good, js. Can't wait to write them. Ugh, I had a little uploading issue... uploaded 8 when I really wanted to upload 7. Just sat there getting mad at myself. **

**Question - Should Sophia die, or be found by the governor's men? **

**Also, to the reviewer who mentioned not leaving Merle behind.. I have plans for him, plans that don't involve the Governor killing him. I HATE that they killed him off! Just when I was starting to like him, too.**  
**It was brought up in conversation that venison and jerky are essentially the same thing. Andy just thinks jerky sounds more appealing, and since she thinks Daryl's is disgusting, calls his venison. Just to clarify that. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I Am Bulletproof **

**Chapter Ten: The CDC**

The man's name was Dr Edwin Jenner, and he wanted blood tests to prove that we weren't infected. If that's all it took then hey, I was game. He showed us around and I mostly blocked him out; short attention spans aren't really that fun. Although when he mentioned hot showers I perked right up. A hot shower was the one thing I'd been dreaming about since we were back at the BnB, after the water was cut off. He led us to a small kitchen and Carol started putting something together for us. We didn't eat much the past couple days, probably because we were too distracted to even think of food. T-Dog, Luke, and Daryl found a stash of wine in one of the cupboards and it wasn't long before they were drunk. I took a long shower and found a change of clothes in a closet. Julie asked me to watch Belle while she took one, so we looked around and found Carl and Sophia in a rec room playing checkers.

"Loofia, I pay?!" Belle tugged on Sophia's shirt, "I no lose. I good at theckews."

Who could say no to that? I watched them play Belle's weird version of checkers until Lori and Carol came in, saying it was time for Sophia and Carl to get some sleep. It was pretty late, so I led Belle back to our room. Julie was asleep on a cot, and Belle cuddled up next to her. I made a bed up on the floor and covered myself up, finally falling asleep.  
The next morning I helped T-Dog make some powdered eggs and bacon for breakfast. It had been a long time since any of us had bacon and it was gone within seconds.

"Do you have a hangover?" Carl asked his father, and Rick nodded. "Mom said you would."

"Never let me drink again, okay?" Glenn groaned from his chair and I laughed at him. He looked so miserable, compared to everyone else. I tended to stay away from alcohol, because alcoholism runs in our family and I didn't want to go down that road. Jenner walked in, and right away the group began to question him. He said he wanted to show us something, and I offered to stay behind and clean up as well as keep an eye on Belle. Like I said, having a short attention span isn't that fun. I knew Jenner would be going into detail about the walkers and all the scientific aspects. Science wasn't something I was interested in and staying away from it would probably be best.

"In case something goes down, be ready to leave." Julie whispered before she went off with the group. I finished washing the dishes and went to check on Belle, who was still asleep.

"Where Mama?" She asked sleepily and I picked her up, taking her back to the dining area. She ate some eggs and applesauce, and I told her to wait in her chair quietly. I packed most of our things, and went into each of the rooms to grab some important things that belonged to the other group members. Once I was finished I went back to see if Belle was ok. We sat in a rec room and I read her a book until she fell asleep. It didn't take long for Luke and Daryl to come back and I asked where the others were.

"Something went wrong. No time to explain." Luke picked up the bags and Daryl led us out to the main entrance.

"Here, I found this when I washed your uniform." Carol said and handed Rick some round object.

"Everyone down!" Rick shouted; he had a grenade and threw it at the window.

"Hey, where's Andrea? And Dale?" I asked Lori, but got no answer. I assumed they were dead.

"One minute until facility-wide decontamination." That stupid computer-animated voice called out and we ran out the window.

"Come on!" T-Dog shouted; walkers were everywhere. My ears were ringing from the grenade and I was starting to feel dizzy when I heard Belle screaming. There was a female walker, with one arm and no lips, running straight at us. Someone shot it and Daryl pushed us into the truck.

"What happened?" I whispered and seeing Glenn and Luke climbing into the back, sighed in relief.

"Stupid asshole locked us in the control room. Wouldn't let us out, either. He said the generators were runnin' out of fuel and the place would explode." Daryl told me and we drove away. I watched as the building burst into flames, destroying everything inside. We were that close to death, and yet still managed to get out safely. Well, minus the woman who announced to the world that Jim had been bit. I think her name was Jacqui or something...

"Missa Gouch, d'you know where my Daddy is?" Belle pouted. I guess in all this mess, Julie hadn't had a chance to talk to her about what most likely happened to Scott. From my calculations it was nearing the end of August and close to her third birthday. Daryl didn't answer; how can you answer something like that? I would have to talk to Julie about it. She was still too young to even begin to grasp the concept of death.

We pulled over and looked around for food, extra clothes, anything really. I found some clothes for Belle and Sophia in an abandoned car while Julie and Andrea talked. She and Dale had made it out at the last second, to everyone's surprise. Is it wrong that I was disappointed to see her again? She really got on my nerves. Not that I was wishing her dead or anything. I looked around to make sure there were no walkers and made my way towards Daryl. I had found a stuffed squirrel in one of the trucks and wanted to give it to him as a joke. It was wearing leather vest, sort of like the one he wore.

"Hey, Mr GRouch. I found something for you." I snuck up on him, causing him to jump and curse.

"Christ! Stop that, why don'cha?" he muttered in irritation, and I laughed at him. Annoying Daryl - funner than annoying Julie or Luke. It was just much more satisfying in a way I can't even begin to explin.

"Can't, it's fun." I grinned and handed him the toy. "You'd better not throw it away, either."

He tucked it into his belt and we made our way back to the group. Rick, Shane, Dale, and Glenn were discussing where we would stay for the night, and I handed some jerky out. Good thing I had thought ahead, back at the quarry when we had all that meat.

"Andy, I need to tell you something." Julie glanced over at Daryl, "Alone."

"What is it?" I asked once we were alone in the truck.

"I'm pregnant." she explained it must have happened right before we left Canada, and Jenner confirmed her suspicions with the bloodtest - he'd pulled her aside and told her. "This world is no place for a new baby."

"We'll find someplace safe. I know it." I reassured her and remembered what Belle had asked Daryl earlier as we drove away from the CDC. "I think you might want to talk to Belle about Scott. She's been asking about him."

"I told her before we left for the CDC. She's just confused." Julie sighed and we saw Rick and Glenn making their way over.

"Time to leave, I guess." I shrugged and we hopped out of the truck. Rick said he knew of a place back in Atlanta that would be safe and we got ready for the long drive.

**I wasn't planning on Julie telling about her pregnancy just yet, but the timing seemed right. **  
**Can I get some reviews? Pleeease?! :) I know there are a bunch of you reading this! Next chapter is gonna be twice as long! I'm almost finished writing it, and it'll most likely be up by next week.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Eleven: Missing**

We left Atlanta as early as we could, so we would get a head start. It had been decided that we would get rid of some of the vehicles, seeing as we were a much smaller group. Daryl left his truck, and our stuff was in the RV. I would miss the truck; it was similar to the one I had back home. We stopped for lunch and to scavenge some things from nearby cars, and I told Luke to stay close to the kids and Julie. They were the most vulnerable, and I wanted to find a doll for Belle's birthday. Of course Mr Grouch insisted that he go along with me, in case walkers were to come through. Rick had told us to stick in pairs, too, which Daryl used against me. I agreed just to get him to stop annoying me about it, and it didn't take long for us to find a doll.

"We should probably look for shoes, too. She's grown out of the last pair." I mentioned, slipping the bag off my sore shoulders to put the doll away. "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?"

"Shh." he pointed up ahead; there was a large group of walkers heading our way and we snuck back to the group slowly, trying to get back before the walkers saw us. Too late; I pulled out my katanas and followed Daryl behind a red SUV. He loaded his crossbow; I watched as he shot one square in the eye. I guess having him come along had been a good idea. We cleared a path and found T-Dog, who had a deep gash in his arm. I heard walkers shuffling over and threw a corpse on T-Dog, telling him to play dead. I crawled under a pile of dead walkers as Daryl grabbed one out of a car and shut my eyes. Waiting for them to pass was the hard part, and I'll admit it. I was scared. Scared they'd find us, scared for the group.

"Come on, they're gone." Daryl said as he pulled the reking walkers off me. We hurried back to the group; Sophia and Rick were nowhere to be seen. Carol was sobbing quietly and Daryl asked Luke what had happened.

"Sophia got scared and ran off, with two walkers after her. Rick went to get her. Poor kid." Dale shook his head and went back to fixing the RV. There wasn't much we could do until Rick came back so I went to have a nap. Luke woke me shortly after, telling me Sophia hadn't been with Rick.

"So now what?" I stretched and got up.

"Well, Rick wants your help. You and Daryl are the best trackers we have. They're waiting outside." Luke told me and turned to leave.

"Tell them I'll be right out." I gave him a small smile and got ready to find Sophia.

_x_x_x_

"I told her to wait right here." Rick led us to a stream, and pointed out a small cavity underneath a tree. "I gave her directions back to the highway."

"She was scared out of her mind. I doubt she was even paying attention to a word you said." I pointed out. If I were her, not having any sense of direction or basic survival knowledge, I'd probably run even deeper into the woods.

"Found a trail. Let's go." Daryl led us across the stream and we walked a good two hours before losing it. "They just stop here. She wasn't attacked, no one took her. It makes no sense."

"Walker." I whispered; it was ahead of us and had fresh blood on its shirt. I snuck up on it and stabbed it in the back of the neck. There was flesh stuck between its teeth.

"Do you think..." Rick asked, not even finishing the sentence. Wel knew what he meant.

"Only one way to find out." Daryl took out his hunting knife and started to gut the thing. It smelled absolutely rancid and it took all my willpower not to run the other way. I had to turn my head when he started pulling out guts, and was glad when he finished. No sign of Sophia being eaten.

"We should head back. It'll be dark soon." Rick stood up, and we cleaned up the mess. Well they did and I tried not to gag.

"What do we tell Carol?" I asked.

"That we found a trail, and she's not bit." Rick looked from me to Daryl, "We'll organize a search tomorrow."

It was nearing sunset when we finally made it back to the highway. Carol, noticing Sophia wasn't with us, broke down and cried. I left for the RV; I can't stand seeing people cry. I usually don't know how to respond and end up either laughing or staring at them awkwardly. Luke and Daryl followed after me and we talked about Sophia.

"There's a 50/50 chance she's even alive. Personally I don't think we're going to find her." Luke shrugged. He did have a point; if she were alive we would've found her by now.

"So essentially we're wasting our time? What if it were Belle?" I asked and Daryl agreed with me. We would do anything we possibly could if it were Belle.

"We can't give up. That lil girl is all Carol has in the world. We need to find 'er, dead or alive." Daryl ended the conversation, and Luke left the RV.

"I need to ask you something." I whispered to Daryl when everyone was asleep; we had another hour of watch duty before Andrea and Glenn would relieve us.

"Ask away." he rolled his eyes.

"It's a huge thing to ask of you. But there's honestly no one in the group who knows survival like we do."

"Spit it out already, geez." Daryl scoffed.

"Ok. If anything happens to me, say I do get bit or anything. Will you watch over them?" Since the whole fish-fry thing, and the CDC, it had become clear to me that anything could happen in a day. "They're all I have. You know what I mean. So what do you think?"

"Nothin's gonna happen to you." He sighed and I waited for him to continue. "But yes, I will. Someone's gotta feed the rugrat, keep your brother in line."

"Swear you will." I looked up at hom, our eyes locking. He coughed and looked away.

"Swear on my Ma's grave." We sat in silence and finally Glenn climbed to the top of the RV.

The next morning, we gathered around a truck and planned a search. Andrea complained that she wanted a gun and made a big deal over it. While she was fighting with Dale, we armed ourselves and waited until she was done. Carl was coming with us and Lori asked me if I would let Carl borrow one of my knives. I agreed, and handed him a switchblade given to me as a graduation gift by my Uncle Ross.

"Be careful. It's really sharp." I warned and we were on our way. About twenty minutes in, we came across a tent. Several dead walkers were lying on the ground and Daryl snuck into the tent. Carol had called for Sophia, but no one had come out.

"No one's in there, 'cept for some body. Guess he just opted out, like that crackhead Jenner said." he came out with a gun, sticking it in the back of his pants. I could never understand why someone would willingly shove a gun in their pants, but that's just me.

"You all heard that, didn't you?" Luke asked, and we heard church bells.

"It could be Sophia!" Carol called out hopefully and we ran towards the noise.

"There's no steeple!" Andrea called and I tried not to laugh. She might have been considered smart before civilization fell, but now she was clueless and a bit ditzy. Then again, she IS a blonde.

"It's on a timer, dipshit." Daryl rolled his eyes as Glenn shut it off so we wouldn't attract walkers.

"Ugh!" Andrea ran inside the church with everyone else, and I waited on the steps. I think churches are dumb. If there is a God, he would be everywhere, all around us. Not in a building made of wood and stone.  
Lori and Shane were behind the church fighting; I could hear them. Shane was apologizing for something he'd done at the CDC. I chose to ignore them and looked around to make sure there were no walkers, and Andrea stormed out of the church.

"Hey, your brother is an asshole." she pointed accusingly. Gah, she was getting on my last nerve with all her bitching and moaning.

"Yeah and you're a whiny bitch." I shrugged and I guess I offended her, because she tried to punch me. I had her on the ground, hands behind her back, in a matter of seconds.

"Let me go!" She spat and I only held her down with more force.

"Don't insult my brother." I let her up; Rick had stepped out of the church and was glaring at the back of my head. "Try to hit me again and I'll do much worse than pin you."

"Whatever." she muttered and went off to find Shane, her new BFF.

"What the hell just happened?" Rick pulled me aside.

"I didn't do a thing. She came out and said Luke was an asshole. I said she should stop being such a bitch, and she swung at me. So I pinned her in self defense." I explained. "What did Luke say to her? Do you know?"

"No. But I'm going to find out, and we'll sort this later. Come on." Rick nodded and we gathered by a picnic table to decide on what we would do next. Shane, Rick, and Carl were going to go off in a different direction while Daryl and I led the rest of the group back to the highway. We stopped for a short break, and Lori nearly lost it. I guess everyone had been giving her and Rick nasty looks, namely Andrea. Carol was blaming Rick for Sophia's disappearance, and Lori was stopped short by a lone gunshot.

"Let's go. It'll attract walkers. We can't stay sitting around." Luke pulled himself up off the ground. It took a bit of convincing, mainly for Lori, but she finally agreed and we were halfway there when I spotted a walker not far ahead. I warned everyone to keep quiet and Luke volunteered to go kill it. But of cours, the blonde cow told him to stay behind like a good little boy, and she decided she was going to be the one to do it.

"I hope she gets eaten." Luke glared and out of nowhere, a walker had grabbed her. Daryl was about to shoot it in the head when a horse and rider galloped by. The walker had somehow been killed; we couldn't tell how it happened.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" the rider, a 20-something brunette female, called out.

"That's me." Lori stepped forward and what we heard next shocked us all.

"Carl's been shot."

X x X x

The girl gave us directionso to her father's farm and once we got back to the highway, I started to pack up. Dale asked it he could speak to me in private and I followed him inside the RV. He asked how the search went and we chatted politely for a bit. I told him about Andrea; he'd noticed a change in her. There was seriously something going on with her, and I didn't wasnt to just shrug it off as grief. Death changes you, who you are as a person, and sometimes it's not for the better.

"So what did you really want to talk about?" I asked, "I know it's not Andrea."

"Well there's several things. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Julie's pregnant." Dale paused and I explained about Julie's situation.

"What else?"

"Not to be nosy or anything. What's going on between you and Daryl? The two of you are nearly inseperable and people have been talking. I'm just concerned." he asked curiously and I tried not to laugh. People were talking? Yeah, I'd bet it was Carol and Andrea; they were known to gossip. Luke told me Carol had a bit of a crush on Daryl and I noticed she'd glare at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

"We're friends, that's all. He's a great hunting partner; we get along pretty good." I thought about it and I could see how people would think there was something going on between us. Before I could say anything more, Luke found us and said T-Dog's arm was getting worse. Dale made his way to T-Dog and said he needed antibiotics right away.

"Why didn't you say so?" Daryl took somthing out of a sidebag on his bike, "I got my brother's stash."

It was decided that Luke and Glenn would take Julie, Belle, and T-Dog to the farm while the rest of us stayed in the RV. Carol wanted to stay one more night in case Sophia came back; I doubted Sophia would show up now. She was too far in the woods to make it back, especially dehydrated and weak from hunger. It was hard getting to sleep that night; Carol was crying noisily and Andrea was trying to reassemble her gun. With one look, Daryl and I got up and went outside, saying we were going to check the highway. If we couldn't sleep, why not? Luke tagged along and we took down three walkers before I sent Luke back to the RV. He hadn't slept at all in the past three days and looked like he'd fall asleep standing up.

"You'll never guess what Dale asked me earlier." I grinned.

"What's that?"

"Carol and Andrea have been gossiping about the two of us. The whole group thinks we're secretly together." It was no use trying to look at him, seeing as it was the middle of the night, so I stared at the ground. I chose not to tell him about Carol's little crush, though. "we could use this to our advantage."

"And how do you figure that?" Daryl lowered his crossbow, turning to face me.

"Just to mess with him, of course." It was a good thing he couldn't see my face clearly because I"d been blushing ever since I brought it up.

"Yeah, I got that. How?"

"Well..." I told him my ideas, and we returned to the RV. Thankfully everyone was asleep, because I was dead tired.

**Well, there you go. Took me a whole week to get that out; I write everything long-hand so it takes twice as long. Like? Don't like? Let me know! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Sorry for not updating sooner... I've been busy with Christmas preparations, and reading Steven King's 'Under The Dome'. The show is a major disappointment. **_

**Chapter Twelve: A Liar On The Farm**

Before leaving for the farm, we left food and water on the hood of a car for Sophia. Luke found some paint and wrote a message on the windshield, telling her to stay and that we'd come for her. Carol cried the whole way to the farm and I ran to get away. Like I said before, crying people and I don't go good together. Luke helped her set up her tent, and I watched as Shane made his way over. There was something much different with him; It was even more noticible that it had been before. Lori seemed to have picked up on it because she called me into the old farmhouse where Carl was recovering and asked me to keep an eye on him. She told me about Otis, that he had, according to Shane, been attacked by walkers. I guess they'd gone for a respirator and medical supplies.

"There's going to be a service for him after lunch." Lori whispered, careful not to wake Carl.

"By the way, what's his blood type? Rick's body won't be able to handle much more of those transfusions." I asked. There was a possibility that he'd match with someone else in the group.

"A Positive." She forced a smiled and looked down at Carl's pale body.

"What coincidence; so is Luke. We've been donating blood since elementary school. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out." Lori agreed and I left to see how Julie was doing. She would need prenatal vitamins ASAP; her baby bump was beginning to show.

We ate a quick lunch; jerky, some ham sandwiches from the house, and iced tea. The change in Shane was scaring Belle and because Julie had a bout of morning sickness and needed to rest, she attached herself to me. Glenn offered to watch over her during Otis' memorial but Belle didn't want to.

"I wants Missa Gouch." she pouted and hid her face in my hair. "And Daddy."

"She knows he's... Right?" Glenn asked, not wanting to say 'dead' in front of her and I nodded.

"She still doesn't understand." I explained and noticed Hershel come out of the house. He'd been the one who saved Carl's life, and agreed to let us camp out on his farm. His daughters, Maggie and Beth, were friendly enough. It seemed Luke and Glenn had crushes on them.

"Hey, everyone. Can you come 'round for a minute?" Shane called and we gathered around him. "The service is goin' to start soon; I'll show you where. If it weren't for him, Carl wouldn't be here."

"But it's also his fault Carl was shot in the first place." Carol pointed out, and I had to agree.

"That was nothin' but a simple hunting accident. It could've happened to anyone." Rick and Lori justified and led us to a gravesite under an apple tree. Patricia, Otis' widow, cried as Hershel spoke about the man. She asked Shane to speak for Otis, and he quickly gave in. There were major gaps in what he said and it didn't make much sense. He was fidgety; couldn't look any of us in the eye. I knew he was lying.

We went our seperate ways; Daryl followed me back to the RV. I told Julie my suspicions and she agreed.

"I think there's a reason behind his new haircut. Could've been in a scuffle and had some hair pulled out." Daryl said and we stopped talking when Julie saw Glenn and Luke approach the RV.

"I'm gonna put her down for a nap." Julie picked Belle up off the floor and we headed out.

"Glenn, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. What do you need?" He smiled.

"Have you noticed anything different about Shane? He's not the guy I met back at the quarry." I asked once we were out of earshot.

"Besides his hair, yes. Dale and I were talking about it earlier." he waved the older man over and we discussed the changes in SHane.

"He could possibly be dangerous, with that newfound temper of his." Dale pointed out and I warned them to keep an eye on him. If he tried anything suspicious I would not hesitate to tell Rick. He'd proved himself to be a better leader than Shane and the group looked to him for guidance.

"Andy!" Daryl tapped me on the shoulder. "You alright?"

"Yeah, why?" I looked around suspiciously.

"You've been staring off into space for the last ten minutes. I asked if you wanted to search for Sophia."

"Oh. Right. Sure, let's go!" We got our weapons out from the RV and were on our way. "Got anywhere in mind?"

"Not really. All we know for sure is to follow the stream." We walked in silence, catching a few rabbits and squirrels along the way, until we came across a clearing.

"Maybe she's in there." I pointed to the rundown farmhouse. It appeared to be empty; we found a bed made in a closet and empty sardine cans. I went upstairs hoping to find some clues when I heard the moans of a walker coming from the room at the end of the hall. I decided to leave that for last and checked the other four rooms. One was painted a soft lavendar, clearly for a little girl. Toys were scattered on the floor and I opened the dresser.  
We made it back to the farm and Daryl went to tell Carol the results of our search. I, on the other hand, went to look for Julie and Belle. The clothes I had found would be a bit big, but Belle would grow into them. According to the calendar in Hershel's kitchen tomorrow was Belle's third birthday, and new clothes would be a great gift. her shoes had been pinching her feet and I was going to make her a pair of moccasins until I had found shoes in that dresser. Julie and Belle were napping in the RV; I watched them sleep peacefully before heading to Daryl's tent. The rabbits weren't going to skin themselves, and the majority of my knives were in there. For safekeeping, of course; Daryl was trustworthy.

"There ya are! I'm takin' a horse to search more. I should be back by dark." He said from inside the tent, scaring me half to death.

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" I sighed and looked through my bag for the knife I wanted. "I've been talking with Glenn."

"Yeah, and your point is?" Daryl raised an eyebrow and sat up.

"We think Shane might have sacrificed Otis. His little... speech he gave earlier was jumbled and didn't make the least bit of sense. He's changed; something isn't right with him."

"Let's say he did. Then what? It's not like he can be thrown in jail or anything." he pointed out, "Now that I think 'bout it, he's been sendin' Lori some pretty weird looks."

"They were pretty close before Rick came. Just something to think about." I turned to leave when Daryl stopped me, looking me dead in the eyes. "Be careful around him." he let go of my arm and I hurried over to the campfire.

The sun had begun to set and Daryl wasn't back. I was starting to get worried when I spotted someone with the binoculars. Andrea grabbed them from me; we were on watch together. She called walker and picked up a rifle, getting ready to shoot. Rick, T-Dog, and Shane went to check it out. I stood up, binoculars in hand, and could barely recognize him. It was Daryl, caked in dirt and blood. He was limping, which was probably why Ms Snotty dubbed him a walker. She shot him and he fell to the ground.

"That was Daryl!" I snarled and pulled her up by the back of her shirt. "You _**SHOT**_ Daryl!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" She pleaded and I saw the fear in her eyes.

"Rick said not to shoot, you stupid shit!" in a fit of anger, I punched her. "Don't you ever listen?!"

"Andy! Stop!" Rick pulled me off of Andrea and led me away.

"That... cow shot Daryl!" I turned to go back and teach Ms Snotty a lesson but Rick stopped me and told me to sit down.

"I know. The bullet just grazed his head. He'll be fine; Hershel's stitching him up."

"Could you not tell him about my little fight with Andrea?" I whispered, "I feel awful about it."

"Hey, I know you two are pretty close. How you reacted is not a surprise." Rick gave me a small hug and asked i I wanted to see Daryl.

"If it's alright." I forced a smile and Rick led me inside the house. Hershel came out of the room Daryl was resting in.

"He'll be ok, as long as he doesn't over-exert himself." Hershel told us and left to clean himself up.

"Heard you punched Blondie." Daryl said when Shane and Rick left.

"Yeah, well she shot you, so..." I shrugged and looked out the window, trying to avoid any eye contact. Andrea was talking to Rick and tried walking past him but he called Hershel out, probably to fix up her face. It had been pretty messed up when Rick pulled me off the witch.

"Why so quiet? You usually don't shut up."

"It's nothing." I crossed my arms and gave in, finally looking over at him. "Wow, you look like shit."

"Don't change the subject. What's wrong?" he sat up.

"I was scared for you. I thought she killed you, okay?" I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying and got up to leave.

"Don't go. I don't wanna be alone." Daryl whispered so low I barely heard him.

"Ok, I'll stay."

"So what is Andy short for?" Daryl asked as we ate the food Maggie brought up for us.

"Alexandria. I was supposed to be a boy, named after my great grandfather Alexandris. but, surprise, I'm a girl." I told him before taking our dishes downstairs to the kitchen. I was about to open his door when I heard Andrea.

"I'm so sorry I shot at you." she apologized.

"You were protecting the group."

"One more thing before I go, though. Control that bitch." Andrea snapped and I heard shuffling.

"Don't you dare call her a bitch again. I don't give a shit if she fucks your face up; she's got more sense and brains than you ever will. Now get the fuck out." Daryl told her and I hid in a room across the hall whils Ms Snotty stomped down the flight of stairs. I went back in and found Daryl sitting at the foot of the bed. I helped him lie back down and watched him as he fell to sleep.

**Ok. Julie and Luke are loosely based on my own brother and sister; my brother's been an absolute asshole as of late so if you don't see much of Luke... that's probably why. Luke is the good I see in my brother and there isn't much to go on right now. ANYWAYS!**

** Review, Favorite, Enjoy! Happy Holidays! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I Am Bulletproof**

**Chapter Thirteen: In The Barn**

I woke up the next morning in the bed, alone in the room. I could vaguely remember Daryl setting me down and wasn't sure if it had been a dream. I shot out of bed, pulled on my boots, and hurried out the door to the camp. I took the clothes for Belle out of Daryl's tent and nearly walked into Carol, who was handing out fresh apples. Andrea was sitting next to Shane, glaring nastily at me.

"Aunty!" Belle ran over and hugged my leg, "Ookie say it's by bewfday!"

"I got you a present, now where's Mommy?" I asked and she led me to Glenn and Luke's tent. Julie, Glenn, and Luke were sitting on the small cots talking about something Andrea had done.

"Have you heard the things Andrea's been saying about you?" Julie asked and I shook my head.

"She told Carol you were a danger to the group and said you threatened to kill her. We all know about you punching her for shooting at Daryl; doesn't surprise any of us." Glenn told me and I sighed.

"She's a case, that one. Lying out of boredom, wanting revenge because I gave her a black eye. Whatever to her." I shrugged, "Last night Daryl told her off because she told him to control 'that bitch'. She onely wishes I could be controlled."

"We should tell Rick. He would sort it out." Glenn sighed and put his hat on before getting up to leave.

"Or maybe he'll hear it for himself." Julie lifted Belle into her arms. "Andrea's got a pretty big mouth."

"Maybe. Do you guys mind if I talk with Julie alone? Girl stuff." I gave the boys a small smile and they hurried out, zipping the tent behind them.

"Andrea's also suggested that maybe you're mentally unstable."

"She's the one that's unstable! Her and Shane both. Shane doesn't like Rick; she's always off on her own doing some stupid shit. Andrea rarely even does her own laundry anymore." I ranted like this for several more minutes when Julie stopped me.

"I know. But does it really even matter in the long run? Andrea's not going to be around forever. Neither is Dale, or Carol."

"You had another dream." I realized and looked at her saddened face. "Who else?"

"Shane. Luke. Lots of walkers. There's a fire in the barn; we get seperated." Julie started to cry and continued as best she could. "Rick has to kill shane."

"Andy, you in there?" Daryl called from outside the tent and I hesitated, looking at the sipped flap/door.

"Go ahead. We'll talk more later." I gave her a hug before answering Mr Grouch. Turns out Rick had found out about Andrea's issues with me and pretty much told her to lay off.

"You should be resting, not walking around spying on everyone." I teased, half serious and half jokingly.

"Got bored. None of Dale's books have any pictures of naked chicks." Daryl grinned mischeviously, earning him a slap on the back of his head. "What? It's true!"

"You pig." We walked around and I noticed there was no one in sight. "Where is everyone?"

"Shootin' lessons. Taught by Shane; the prick. There's somethin' goin' on between him and Andrea."

"Yeah, no shit. I'll bet they're screwing around... and she has the audacity to say I'm mentally unstable." I rolled my eyes and we stopped for a rest. He looked pretty pale; there were dark circles under his eyes. I doubted he got much sleep last night. The pain killeds Hershel had given him weren't very strong and piercing an arrow through your side had to be painful.

"You're thinkin' again. I can see it in your eyes." Daryl nudged my arm, "Care to share?"

"Honestly, I shouldn't tell you. It's Julie's secret, her responsibility. You do know she's pregnant though, right?" I quickly changed the subject.

"Luke told me. We're going to need a safe place. Livin' on the run is no way to raise a kid." Daryl shook his head. "It's bad anough Carl and Belle have to go through it."

"Yesterday Belle asked me when we were gonna leave the farm. I wish we could stay forever, but I know we can't." Telling him about Julie's 'gift' could go three ways - he would think we're batshit crazy, avoid and shun us, or accept it as a fact.  
I made sure Daryl was in his tent resting befor heading to the house. I wanted to ask Maggie if she had anything to wrap Belle's gifts in. She deserved to have a nice birthday, no matter the circumstance. Maggie gave me a gift box for the doll, and a used gift bag for the rest. She even offered to bake some chocolate chip cookies.

"Lori and Carol offered to make a nice supper for us; I don't have a problem with it. Kids should have birthday parties." Maggie smiled as I tied the box with a pink ribbon.

"Thanks for this. I really appreciate it." I smiled as I headed out the front doot. Carl was sitting on the porch coloring a picture with Belle and I walked over.

"Who dose for?" Belle asked, her eyes on the packages in my arms.

"You, silly. It's your birthday." I grinned and handed her the box. "Go on, open it."

She tore it open and pulled out the doll, a huge smile lighting up her little face and hugged it tightly to her chest. She looked up at Carl and asked if he wanted to play house. Noticing the look on his face, I suggested she go show everyone her doll instead.

"Mommy and Ookie and Missa Gouch gonna wuv it!" she raced off to the RV.

"How you feeling?" I asked as I sat next to Carl.

"A lot better. It hurts a bit though." Carl shrugged and shuffled through the small plastic container that held the used crayons. "Carol doesn't like you."

"What do you mean?" I wated him color a red and blue spaceship, wondering what he knew. Kids were smarter than adults gave them credit for and picked up a bunch of things.

"I overheard her and Andrea talking about you. They were saying nasty things about you, and Daryl, too. I think they're wrong. They are, right?" he had stopped coloring at this point and I told him they were just jealous and not to worry about it. I saw Lori making her way over from the chicken coop and waved. After saying bye to Carl I decided to check the barn out. JUlie had mentioned the possibility of walkers being kept in there and I wanted to see if she was right. The doors were padlocked shut and there were no windows so I looked for a way to sneak in. There was a small opening at least ten feet up and I couldn't climb up in broad daylight without anyone seeing so I shrugged it off. I was about to walk away when I heard the low groans of a walker.

** X**

Lori and Carol's supper tasted great but it was extremely awkward. It felt like Hershel didn't want us there for some reason. After we ate I helped Daryl back to his tent and we talked for a while until he shooed me out. Once everyone was asleep I headed back to the barn and saw someone carrying something. It looked like Glenn and I made an animal call to get his attention.

"What are you doing here?" Glenn asked, setting whatever he'd been carrying on the ground.

"I was walking around earlier and heard _them_ in the barn. Not sure if I imagined it or not." I explained and Glenn found a way up to the hayloft. There were definitely walkers in the barn. At least thirty, maybe more.

"You weren't supposed to see that." Maggie whispered cooly behind us and I knew we'd been busted.

"It's not Glenn's fault. I was here first." I explained but she cut me off.

"You can't tell anyone about this. Understand?" Glenn and I nodded in agreement and sensing they wanted to talk alone I excused myself. No wonder Hershel didn't want us here. We were interferring with his way of life.

Shane.

If Shane found out... I didn't even want to think about what he'd do. Luke would demand that the walkers be 'taken care of' and telling him would be stupid. Dale and Daryl would be the only ones able to think rationally about the situation and I had to tell someone. Sure I'm good at keeping secrets, but not ones that could potentially put the people I care about in danger. I sat outside Daryl's tent and fell asleep shortly after.  
The next morning Rick was arranging another search and I talked Daryl out of going. He only agreed because I said I'd stay behind with him and send Luke instead. Luke was the third best tracker in the group, coming close after Daryl and I. Andrea and T-Dog paired up; Dale sighed in relief that she wasn't going with Shane. The very idea of them together kind of scared me; they had the potential and motivation to murder every last one of us in our sleep.  
After helping with the laundry I went to find Daryl. He had mentioned moving his tent away from the group and I offered to help. It only made sense, seeing as most of my things were in there. He was in the stables from what Carol told me but I couldn't find him. I was on my way to the barn when I sensed someone was behind me and I spun around. Daryl. Of course.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" I rolled my eyes and he shrugged. "I might have to give you a black eye. Teach you a lesson."

"I'd like to see you try." he smirked and we walked back to his tent. "You know if you want to get away from Andrea..."

"You'll kill her? How thoughtful." I joked, looking up at him. His face was unreadable, like a blank canvas as Mom would say. "I'll shut up now."

"Finally! You talk way too much." It wasn't until we had set up a small camp near the woods when Daryl continued his unfinished thought.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to bother you too much." He'd asked if I would consider staying in his tent. We both couldn't stand Shane, or Andrea. Carol was an annoyance.

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure. And this way we could mess with everyone, since they think we're secretly lovers."

"Ok. I will on one condition."

"And that would be what?"

"No lookin' at my lumps, my lovely lady lumps." I tried not to laugh at his facial expression when he grasped what I'd said.

"You are seriously crazy." Daryl shook his head and we saw Andrea making her way towards us.

"Get in the tent. Quick!" I all but pushed him in and told him to take off his shirt.

"The fuck...?"

"Just do it. She's going to be out first victim, so to speak." I messed his hair up and we heard her call for Daryl.

"What you want?!" he growled in response to Andrea.

"I just came to talk. You're not busy, are you?"

"Quick. Unbutton your pants and get out." I whispered, Daryl grinning at me as he did what he said. I waited several minutes and walked out; the look she gave me was priceless.

"Hi, Andrea!" I waved, "What do you want now, you snotball?"

"From you, nothing." Andrea spat and turned her attention back to Daryl.

"Darry! She hurt my feelings!" I pretended to cry and ran into the surroundiing woods. SOon enough, she left and Mr Grouch came to get me.

**Longer chapters - yes or no? I'm thinking yes. Daryl's developing a crush on Andy, and now that they're sharing a tent... who knows what will happen. Will he keep his feelings to himself?**

**Next chapter: The Undoing Of Shane.**

**Review, Favorite, Enjoy! :)**


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